The Nigerian film industry has successfully created an environment where the three major ethnic groups in the country are properly represented. For films that are predominantly targeted at Yoruba audiences, Odunlade Adekola is one of the biggest actors and faces who grace the screens to entertain this category of audience. Adekola’s career started very early in his life and in that time, he has made a lot of progress, he has become not just famous but also wealthy in his strides.
Odunlade Adekola Started his Acting Career as an 18-year-old Teenager
For a lot of actors, their professional careers began when they were much younger while some others had already reached adulthood before discovering their talent in the performing arts. The former is the case for Odunlade Adekola who was 18 when he first started acting.
Now 44 years old, the actor was born on 31st December 1978, in the southwestern part of Nigeria. Though his birthplace is recorded as Abeokuta, Ogun State, Adekola is actually a native of Ekiti State in Nigeria. His educational pursuits were also accomplished in Ogun State where he attended primary and secondary schools at St John’s Primary School and St. Peter’s College respectively. After obtaining his O Level certificate, he proceeded to tertiary at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic for a diploma after which he got admission into the University of Lagos where he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration.
Despite the fact that he didn’t study anything relating to the performing arts, Odunlade Adekola nursed that passion within him and proceeded to pursue a career in the field. He launched his acting career in 1996 but it took a while before recognition came his way.
The Yoruba Actor Came to Prominence at the Age of 25
His career as a professional actor began when he joined the Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts practitioners in 1996 but it was not until 2013 that he came to prominence at the age of 25 when he played the lead role in Asiri Gomina Wa. Since that breakthrough which won him many awards, he has taken on a lot of roles and risen to prominence in his career, it was upon this that his career leveraged and became what it is today.
Odunlade is now a recognized name in the industry, especially in the movies shot in the native Yoruba language. His face is also recognized all over the country, not just in Yoruba land. Now a household name, Odunlade has many acting credits to his name.
The Best Works of Odunlade Adekola To Date
Odunlade Adekola has been acting for a long time, his career has spanned over two decades, and in that time, he has acted in over 30 films. His performances are so popular that his priceless expressions on the set of films are often used as internet memes that go rife. Odunlade has also won a number of awards for his performances. Some of the films he has been in are:
- Asiri Gomina Wa
- Emi Nire Kan
- Pate Pate
- Sunday Dagboru
- Taxi Driver: Ojo Ashewo
- Ma ko fun e
- Adebayo Aremu Abere’
- The Vendor
- Pepeye Meje
- Agbaje Omo Onile 1, 2, 3
- Mufu Olosa Oko
- Eku Meji
- Yeye Alara
- Gbemileke 1,2,3
- Sammu Alajo Comedy series
For his works, he has been the City People Entertainment Best Actor of the Year four times and twice consecutively in 2009, 2011, 2014, and 2015. He also won the African Magic Movie Best Actor Award among other recognitions.
Other Businesses Odunlade Adekola do to Build His $1 Million Net Worth
Odunlade is not just an actor, he is also a singer, filmmaker, producer, and director. The actor also runs a number of businesses, he is the owner and founder of Odunlade Adekola Film Productions (OAFP). This is a film school where people who have desires to become professional actors can hone their skills. He is determined to help other talented individuals who aspire to have a career in the entertainment industry.
He made his initial foray into the music industry in December 2015 but his career as an actor surpasses that of a singer.
However, his business enterprise spreads beyond the world of entertainment as he also owns a hotel. The hotel is situated in Abeokuta and is recognized as one of the best in the state as it offers top-notch services to its customers.
Does his Net Worth Make Odunlade Adekola The Richest Yoruba Actor In Nigeria?
The Yoruba film industry not only has highly talented people, but it has also managed to make a lot of the people in this industry, particularly the actors very wealthy. Actors and actresses such as Funke Akindele ($500-950 million), Muyiwa Ademola ($400,000), Fatia Balogun ($400, 000), and Femi Adebayo ($500,000) have amassed a large amount of wealth for themselves in this lucrative industry, thanks to their creativity. Odunlade Adekola, who fits into this crop of people is believed to have a net worth of $1 million.
This has placed him arguably in the position of the wealthiest Yoruba actor in Nigeria. So far, he has established himself financially and is a worthy contender in this industry. It is believed that for his roles in films, he is paid N250,000 for every performance but this is only one source of his wealth. It is also very likely that this figure has changed significantly since it was reported.
Brands Odunlade Endorsed
As a person who has a lot of fame, Odunlade Adekola is one of the most popular actors in the country and this is not limited to Yoruba audiences. It is not unfounded that brands would want to capitalize on his fame and make him a brand ambassador which will, in turn, give them access to a large number of people and advertise their products.
This has resulted in him becoming an ambassador for brands such as Glo. He is one of the many actors who are ambassadors for this telecommunications company. Their commercials for the company are some of the best to watch out for on TV.
In 2016, he signed a deal with Conoil with a handful of some other stars. This was not the end for him as in 2018, he bagged yet another endorsement deal. This time it was with Revolution Plus Property, a real estate firm. The actor is also a Goldberg ambassador, a beer brand that makes frequent appearances on his Instagram account.
Some of the known brands he has endorsed include:
- Glo Nigeria
- Goldberg
- Conoil
- Revolution Plus Property
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